The Ballad of the Mantis
by MrMysteryAhoy
Summary: Taking place after The Collector Akuma - After debunking the theory of Mr Agreste being Hawkmoth, the Parisian heroes thought everything would go back to the way it was. They were right... for about 2 hours. The pair are suddenly visited by a new Miraculous-wielding "friend". He seems friendly enough, but he's hiding something - they can both feel it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ahoy, everyone! This is MrMysteryAhoy, and I'd like to share this story that I've been thinking of for a while.**

**This is my first ever fanfiction... fingers crossed you all enjoy it!**

**This piece takes place during The Collector, and has quite the twist in it. No spoilers!**

**Disclaimer: **Due to a freak lab accident, my MLB ownership gained sentience and ran away!

* * *

"And I know it was a dumb thing to do and I'm really, really sorry."

The recently Akumatised Gabriel Agreste stood in front of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his steely expression not shifting in the slightest as he heard Marinette's story.

"I see. So you're one of his admirers?"

Marinette could feel the blood rushing to her face as he emphasised the final word, but she stayed strong and tried to keep her thoughts straight. _For Adrien. I have a job to do. Then I have another job after that for Ladybug._

"Admirer, yeah. That's the word." Marinette replied as she bent down to grab the Miraculous Spellbook from her bag and handing it back to its owner.

As Gabriel passed on the book to Natalie standing next to him, Marinette gave him a plea that he would remain silent about the identity of the person who stole the book. She couldn't dare think of what would happen if Adrien blamed her for getting kicked out of school.

As the designer shook his head, Marinette supposed she should have been happy. But her work wasn't quite finished yet.

"Are you going to let Adrien come back to school?"

* * *

That evening, Ladybug raced along the rooftops of Paris. Her destination: The Eiffel Tower where she would meet Chat to begin patrol. Near the start of the duo's crime-fighting careers, they would regularly meet up at night to talk and bond as partners. It helped better than expected, and soon the pair could practically read each other's minds during battle. Eventually, the meetups became patrols as they tried to keep the peace without the presence of an Akuma. It didn't achieve much as the duo rarely encountered an actual crime that wasn't butterfly-induced. But the media loved it and the public felt much safer knowing that Paris' superheroes would protect them from more than just demon insects.

When she reached the top, she casually greeted Chat Noir like always and briefly caught up.

Since the latest Akuma made their suspicions of Hawkmoth's identity impossible, they had to reconsider their options, which were painfully limited.

Just before they were to set off on their statistically pointless crusade against common crime, Ladybug noticed Chat's ear twitch and saw him tense, a small growl growing inside him. They weren't alone.

The pair instinctively got into battle positions and tried to mentally prepare themselves for anything. Chat Noir could hear whatever it was better than her, and he wasn't lowering his guard, so it wasn't a bird or something simple like that. What civilian would possibly be able to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower so late at night? This had to be an Akuma.

It seemed like the pair were waiting there for ages as the sounds from underneath them became closer and more discernible. Whoever it was, they were making their way up to Ladybug and Chat Noir, and it sounded like they were trying to get up as fast as they can, but wasn't actually getting anywhere. It was taking **forever**.

Eventually, the loud shuffling of the person was accompanied by a voice. A voice directed at the pair. "WAIT! DON'T LEAVE YET! I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU!"

That didn't sound like an Akuma, it sounded, well… normal… maybe they were wrong and Alya was back to committing federal crimes in the name of getting an interview. No; it wasn't Alya's voice, but Ladybug wasn't going to buy in just yet. She had learned her lesson from Lila/Volpina. She wasn't going to let her guard down, and neither was Chat, apparently.

Chat opened his mouth, prepared to ask who this intruder was, but after a glance to Ladybug, he quickly shut it again. The pair got into a position that would allow them to ambush the mystery guest if necessary. The voice from below was muttering about how he (for it was certainly a masculine voice) would probably "jump right off the Tower if he missed the pair again" and how he felt "like the Cat's bad luck had a new target" in himself.

It certainly wasn't Akuma-talk, but this person was following them, and Ladybug… well, Volpina just kinda messed her up.

As soon as the slightest movement could be detected on the same storey as the superheroes, Ladybug quickly got to work, barely registering the shade of green that covered the mystery person. Certainly not civilian attire.

Ladybug threw her yoyo away from the intruder and quickly pulled back, looping the wire through one of the guard rails and wrapping it around the shoulders of the intruder and knocking him off his feet. He was dragged away off the edge of the Tower, kept from falling only by the wire that ensnared him. To his credit, he didn't scream or make any sounds of distress during his sudden kidnapping - somehow keeping composure even when faced with the 300-metre drop below that would send him plummeting had Ladybug not had the decency of only **threatening** a very painful death.

He hung like that for a bit, swaying slightly; the two superheroes waiting for this gatecrasher to make the first move, and so he did.

"Ladybug? I don't want our relationship to start off on a lie, so I'm just gonna be honest with you: That was extremely rude."

That comment was so unexpected that Ladybug - gobsmacked - almost lost her grip on the yoyo that kept the mysterious individual anchored to his life, although she was starting to doubt just how much power she held in this situation. It seemed like these heights didn't faze him. Maybe he could fly? Chat Noir, seemingly less stunned, took the initiative. "Who are you?"

The hostage (technically he was a hostage, right?) briefly cleared his throat. Before answering.

"My name is Matthew Camerons, holder of the Mantis Miraculous. You can call me "Preying Mantis", but with an 'e' instead of an 'a' in 'praying', because I'm not religious and instead, I prey on my enemies. Heh, get it? I'm **prey**\- ya know what? Forget that. Just call me Mantis.

This comment affected them both. He just said the "N"-word! He said his _**name**_. That's not supposed to happen. Heroes don't do that. Does this guy have a death wish? Does he have mental pro- Their thoughts were interrupted by Mantis complaining about how being dangerously dangled from a national landmark was giving him motion sickness.

Ladybug glanced to Chat, who gave her a subtle nod. He was willing to give this guy a proper chance to talk without the threat of bodily harm, which was a sentiment that Ladybug shared; but she was still on alert for anything this "Mantis" might pull.

With a quick tug of her wrist, Mantis was roughly pulled back onto solid ground; and there he lay for a few seconds; regaining his bearings.

Now that Ladybug had a good look at him, Ladybug realised just how much of a praying mantis Mantis looked like. He couldn't be much older than Chat and herself, a year at most - definitely too tall to be younger. He was covered in a forest green bodysuit with a mix of lighter green and yellow-ish accents. It made him look a bit like a leaf. It even had a coat-tail style protrusion at the bottom of his back that stretched down to just before his knees that was reminiscent of an insects abdomen. There were small lines along his side that indicated the presence of wings, but they didn't appear to be particularly strong - they seemed to be for more aesthetic purposes than practical, but this is a magic superhero/villain she's talking about. Those "wings" could be hiding machine guns, for all she knew. Along his forearms, there were two seemingly detachable blades that were attached along the outside of his limbs, somewhat resembling a praying mantis' arms.

But the most interesting part of the outfit was the head. It was similarly coloured to the rest of the body, but it was the apparatus itself that was confusing. The general design slightly reminded Ladybug of the Aquaman villain, Black Manta (an obscure reference, but a valid one). The helmet was shaped like the head of a praying mantis - with large, fairly spaced bulbs on each side, near the top. These bulbs were the same green as the rest of the suit, with small black dots that would swivel around on the eye-orbs similarly to human eyes.

When Mantis was pulled back onto the Eiffel Tower, he landed a good ten or so metres from the Bug and Cat. Any normal person in his position would have had to turn their neck to the side to get a good view of the pair, but the closer one of Mantis' eyes swivelled to point at the pair. Creepy. When they made eye-contact, Mantis' face, which was previously contorted from nausea, instantly split with a large smile which occasionally opened to allow the passage of a soft chuckle. While the laughing itself was deep and kind of sweet, the situation that it was in worried Ladybug and Chat Noir, who wondered just what kind of headspace Mantis was in.

He kept this laugh going for longer than it should have, with an occasional "I finally found you" and "I can't believe it" thrown in. Once he calmed down, he got up and started towards the pair, only to be stopped in his tracks from the semi-hostile looks he got from them. He seemed to quickly realise what they meant and glanced down, the effect given from his bulbous eyes making it hard to keep track of exactly where he was looking, as they seemed to move slightly independent from each other.

Chat Noir decided to start things off again, a little guarded: "So… 'Matthew', care to tell us about yourself?"

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo what does everyone think? I'd love to hear peoples ideas, opinions and constructive criticism!**

**I dunno what my upload schedule will look like. I don't think it'll be fast in any way.**

**I've got a bit of a plan for the next couple of chapters, but I don't really know where this story is headed in the long run.**

**Until next time,  
****MrMysteryAhoy**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys, MrMysteryAhoy is back for the second chapter. Not much happens in this chapter, but I feel like its necessary. I promise that I'll get to some good, juicy action later. But, for now, the show must go on!**

**Disclaimer: **I bet my MLB rights in an illegal gambling ring and lost it.

**Introduction: Part** 2:

Chat Noir didn't know how he felt about any of this. On one hand, a new superhero is always a plus and this Mantis guy seemed pretty cool. Instant respect is demanded when one can calmly call out a national superhero on endangering their life. On the other, Chat didn't know this guy. Something about him was just… wrong. Chat put it down to his feline instincts being paranoid, but he was still sceptical.

The fact that Mantis just gave away his civilian name like that (accidentally or not) was a good sign of him not being an Akuma, as they normally denounce who they were before Hawkmoth preyed (get it? Okay, it's not funny to make the same pun twice. Even Chat had limits) on them. But that wasn't exactly hard evidence.

He had never heard of the Mantis Miraculous… to be fair, he didn't know any Miraculous outside of the Ladybug, Black Cat, and the Butterfly but it was certainly **paw**sible that more Miraculous exist, like the Fox that Volpina had masqueraded as. A quick glance to Ladybug - who seemed to know more about these things than him - showed that she hadn't heard of it either, but wasn't completely closed off to the idea that Mantis was legit. But just standing there wasn't going to make any progress, so Chat decided to strike up a conversation: "So… 'Matthew' - mind if I call you Matt? - okay, Matt. Tell us about yourself."

"Matt" nodded slightly and started to tell his story. A way too personal story for the heroes comfort. They were used to the blind trust that went between them, not knowing another superhero personally. This was alien to them.

Matt talked about growing up in Australia, which was surprising to the duo as his French was perfect. Surprisingly, he was only a couple of months older than Chat - he could not make a comparison with Ladybug, however. Before he got any further with his life story, Ladybug interrupted: "Mantis, that's all fine, but I'm more interested in how you obtained your Miraculous. Did you find it? What did your Kwami say? Those kinds of things."

Mantis nodded his confirmation but hesitated. If his big eye-orb… things could look confused, that's what he looked like. "Kwami?"

That simple question put both of the pair on guard. Miraculous have Kwami's. That's a fact. If he didn't have a Kwami, he didn't have a Miraculous. On the other hand, an Akuma wouldn't be so straightforward about not knowing something so crucial to owning a Miraculous - Hawkmoth would be more prepared than that. This was most likely just a deranged fan who made a REALLY good method actor and cosplayer.

Chat could see that Ladybug had made a similar judgement, and stepped forward. "Look, Mantis-"

"No"

Now that was unexpected. Mantis looked determined as he put his metaphorical foot down to stop Ladybug from continuing. He went on:

"I know you're having a hard time believing me and that's understandable, but I swear on everything that I am, I am not making any of this up. I want to believe that I was given this Miraculous for a purpose, either that or I will **make **a purpose of it. And here in Paris, alongside the two of you is where I can do that. I didn't leave behind my family, my home, my friends back in Australia to not be given a chance."

Ladybug and Chat were now so taken aback by the raw determination in Mantis' voice, that they took a step back. This was certainly no Akuma. There were no negative emotions in his voice, just determination to do some good. But the fact he didn't know what a Kwami was is still concerning.

Chat, feeling sympathetic to this mystery superhero, offered him the figurative olive branch. "So tell us about your powers."

Mantis, understanding the importance of the change in conversation, visibly brightened at this. Literally, it seemed like his whole suit momentarily brightened to a lighter shade of green, giving the pair a momentary bout of vertigo. And then he went into a speedy rant that the pair had to struggle to keep up with:

"So the Mantis Miraculous stands for language; structured communication, which is how I'm speaking French right now. I didn't learn it. It just comes naturally with the suit, ya know? Anyway, apart from instant fluency of all languages - even lip-reading and sign language. Something about the mantis being the messenger for spirits in some kinda mythology or something."

Catching the pairs' eyes, he quickly got back on track. "I can also have a full 360-degree view." Which was accompanied by his eyes spinning all around the orbs. It was cool but extremely off putting to outside viewers. "Yeah, it took me months to get used to it, too. I spent days on end with my eyes closed. I also have these short blades, my weapons." He said, gesturing to the blades attached to his arms. "They don't really do much except be sharp. Also, my wings are pretty much useless except for a quick boost or to slow my fall. Finally, I have this strange power that allows me to whisper and only people I want to hear it can do so... it's easier if I show ."

Mantis then hid his mouth behind a gloved hand and started slowly moving his lips. Even with his extraordinary hearing, Chat couldn't hear anything, but Ladybug jumped slightly, eyes wide. "It's like you're whispering directly in my ear!" She then turned to Chat, the question of whether he heard it as well evident on her face, to which he shook his head.

Knowing that Ladybug wouldn't lie about this, Chat couldn't help but be impressed. That would be an extremely helpful tactical ability. Wanting to know more, he asked: "What about your main power? The one that starts the transformation timer?"

Bashfully, Mantis ducked his head down, and quickly murmured something along the lines of "I don't know", which Chat was almost expecting at this point. He wouldn't know unless a Kwami told him, which he apparently hadn't met. How he transformed in the first place was beyond Chat.

Chat and Ladybug quickly huddled together and debated what to do about Mantis. They quickly came to a decision and shared it with the boy who looked like a child who was going to get scolded for only trying to help but ended up making everything worse.

"Welcome to the group, Mantis."

**A/N: This is the end of the introduction of Mantis. From now on, we go back into the canon Akuma. Starting with Gorizilla.**

**I had written both these last (and first) 2 chapters together, so now I have to continue writing as I go along. Can't wait to further follow the story of Mantis! Don't forget to like and subscribe and - wait, that's not it... forget about it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! MrMysteryAhoy is back, faster than I certainly expected. I thought this chapter was going to be much longer compared to the others, due to the fact that this one actually has a lot of things happening in it, but I am surprised.**

**I'm sure the next chapter won't come until next weekend, but I surprise even myself.**

**Disclaimer: My MLB rights started hanging around the wrong people, and is now on the run from authorities in Canada, or somewhere.**

**And without further adieu, the Third Chapter of the Mantis - Gorizilla pt. 1**

That night, Marinette zipped through the open hatch into her bedroom. While her body had finished it's trial, her mind was racing. A new hero? What did this mean for Hawkmoth? Could they trust this Mantis? What kind of Miraculous holder didn't know what a Kwami is? This was a huge risk. Chat Noir and herself were putting themselves into a hugely dangerous situation. On the other hand, an ally would definitely prove valuable as Hawkmoth was continually becoming craftier.

She was proud of how she handled the situation. Mantis seemed open to whatever kind of restrictions placed upon him by Ladybug and Chat Noir, as long as he got to prove himself. For the moment, Mantis as a superhero was to stay out of the public spotlight, for a multitude of reasons, the chief one being that he would easily be mistaken for an Akuma. In fact, he wasn't supposed to be transformed at all until there was an Akuma threat for him to help fight against. Even with an Akuma threat, he was told to try to stay out of anyone's sight - particularly the Akuma's. Hawkmoth would jump at the chance to take out a novice superhero and secure another Miraculous. This strategy was to be effective until further notice, which Marinette didn't think to be longer than a month or so, assuming Mantis was secretly trained by the two of them. Until he was ready to have the spotlight shone on him constantly.

Marinette was aware of her own flaws. At least, she hoped she is. And her unwavering sense of trust in new people was probably her most glaring one. Mantis might make or break everything that Ladybug and Chat Noir stand for. But she also liked to think she has a good radar for trustworthy people, and Mantis hadn't given them any reason to doubt him - apart from the Kwami thing. Maybe the Mantis Miraculous just works different to others, for whatever reason. Marinette didn't have all the answers.

But she knew who would...

She thought about what Master Fu would think. Surely he would know what was going on. Marinette decided she would have to tell Master Fu about Mantis. Maybe even take Mantis to see him… probably not. Bad idea.

The fatigue starting to set in, Marinette decided to sleep on the events of that night. She cleared her head and focused on what was in front of her. With a start, she realised that she was standing in the middle of her room, still transformed. Calling off the superhero suit, she gave Tikki a quick goodnight and got slipped into bed as hastily as she could without making any loud noises to tip off her parents.

Just before slipping into her dreams, Marinette realised that she had not talked to Tikki about the latest could-be superhero, nor had Tikki made any attempt to start a conversation about him. Marinette hoped this was a good thing - Tikki would alert her to any large risks, such as someone faking to own a Miraculous.

*Time Skip*

This was not the way Adrien expected today to go. That damn commercial for Adrien: The Fragrance was making going insane. If he was honest, the whole thing was cheesy from the start - something Plagg agreed on, except he was probably talking about his food. Since when did Adrien have such a captivating smell? Surely someone would have noticed it beforehand. On the more likely side of things, the commercial concoction probably smells nothing like Adrien's pubescent BO - in which case, why was it being marketed like it does?

Society is weird…

But there was hope in the form of a classmate; Marinette.

Adrien felt terrible for roping her into all this mess, but it was too late now as they hid inside the dried up fountain in the park. Not the best hiding spot, but a large crowd excels at missing the obvious.

Quickly explaining the situation, Adrien was surprised when Marinette asked about him having his own ad. How she didn't realise all the posters that seemed to be everywhere escaped him. Seriously, you couldn't swing a cat without hitting a picture of the famed model (and Adrien knew quite a lot about swinging cats). But upon reflection, if anyone could somehow miss it, it was clumsy Marinette - not that he was criticising her character. He found it quite adorable sometimes.

Suddenly, Adrien became aware of what Marinette was clothed in. Pyjamas? What in the - actually, that does seem like another Marinette thing to do.

Through many trials, tribulations and crazed fans that would kill for an opportunity to meet him, Adrien made it to his destination - the movie theatre. Probably the only chance he would ever have to see his mothers movie.

Which just HAD to be shown after yet another ad of Adrien: The Fragrance. Which Marinette started chanting to. This raised an eyebrow, as she said she had never seen it before… which was probably her way of trying to cheer him up - another Marinette classic. Adrien laughed at her antics and quickly forgot about it as the movie started

Adrien was so intent on seeing it that he removed his clunky motorcycle helmet to hear it better. Then he was quickly reminded of why he had it on in the first place as someone quickly snapped a photo and sent it onto social media. A clear violation of the theatres "No mobile phones" policy. Adrien would be sure to make a complaint.

His heart metaphorically broken at the interruption of the movie he **so** desperately wanted to see, but was quickly swept away at the almost instantaneous arrival of all his fans. They quickly surrounded him and Adrien did his best to cower inconspicuously, a tactic that failed to work. What it was supposed to achieve, Adrien didn't know, but he tried and failed anyway.

Suddenly, there was this alien voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Adrien knew that voice, and without thinking said "Mantis!?"

Marinette raised her eyebrows in questioning. Quickly realising his mistake he tried to cover it up. "I mean, **m-man this** is quite the, ummm, conundrum, hey?"

Marinette seemed to buy into his cover and the group around him probably couldn't care less, except one person. Mantis, who Adrien couldn't see due to the constant flashing directly into his retina had taken a pause.

"_... Chat Noir? What? Ummmmm… this is new… sooooo - onto my point. There's kind of an Akuma after you."_

Adrien's eyes widened at both the reveal of his identity and also the part where Hawkmoth was headhunting him. As this thought raced through his mind the ground shook violently and a massive, hairy, blue hand crashed through the ceiling, revealing a blue King Kong. Why blue? Adrien couldn't find an answer. Perhaps if he had longer to think about it he could come up with a logical conclusion. Unfortunately, King Kong didn't allow for that and almost instantly snatched Adrien up, sniffing him.

Having a closer look (which Adrien could have done without) he started seeing certain parallels… "Are you… my bodyguard?"

King Kong seemed to sniff in response - a very Adrien-bodyguard-esque response.

"_Don't say I didn't warn you…_" Echoed Mantis, which Adrien found both extremely annoying as well as completely useless. But Adrien couldn't blame him. This was the kids first Akuma, as well as the proof necessary to prove he's not an Akuma. Realisation dawned on him, and he internally slapped himself for not asking Plagg about the Mantis Miraculous.

Focusing on the matter at hand, Adrien quickly distracted King Kong from the angry crowd inside the cinema. And like that, Adrien was taken hostage, swept off to the top of one of the tallest buildings with Ladybug (and a rabid pack of die-hard fans) in close pursuit.

**A/N: Now that things have really taken off, I'd love to hear what everyone's thinking.**

**I'm planning to get Gorizilla done in the next chapter. The intended date for the ****publication**** of that is next week, but who knows? I might get it done tomorrow if the Universe decides I've been pushed around enough.**

**Until next time, MrMysteryAhoy must depart to Neverland.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone, MrMysteryAhoy here!**

**Time for the thrilling finale of Gorizilla, as well as maybe something else... f****irst things first, though: My first bit of feedback!**

**Yellow 14, I had no idea about how people felt about OC characters on this site, but all I can do is hope that I make Matthew Camerons/Mantis different. If you have any ideas about how I could do that, I'd be happy to hear them. But, for now, all I can do is continue my plan of how his story folds out and hope that I manage to change your mind. As for the description of Mantis himself... well I know that my writing has its flaws. Sometimes I go too fast through things, and some I take too long on. As for Alya committing federal crimes, that was just a gag. A poorly researched one, but nothing to be taken seriously. I haven't got the slightest clue as to the levels of French law. My writing humor is much different to my writing in general - another flaw. ****I hope I put your mind to ease about some of your qualms and only encourage you to read more, especially this chapter.**

**Now that that's over, this chapter is longer than the previous ones and contains some well needed plot and OC characterisation! (Better late than never).**

**Fun Fact: The Mantis Miraculous came to me when I read that in some cultures, praying mantis' are considered to be the messengers of the dead. I used that as my basis.**

**On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: For it's own protection, I put my rights to MLB in a time capsule for my grandchildren to use. Now, if only I could remember where I buried it...**

* * *

Ladybug was, quite frankly, outraged. Only **SHE** could interrupt Adrien watching a movie to take him to a place with a romantic view, such as the top of one of the tallest buildings in Paris. Unfortunately, Gorizilla didn't exactly care nor know about her feelings towards Adrien's kidnapping.

Landing back on the roof of the building, Ladybug called upon her Lucky Charm and was awared a… remote helicopter set? Thinking quick, Ladybug emptied the box of its contents and got the toy chopper up in the air. Just as this happened, she heard a distinctive voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"I'm on the scene, Ladybug. Just show me what to do."

Glancing around, Ladybug could see Mantis hiding from the Akumas line of sight behind him. Although her original plan would work, she made a split-second decision that it would be good to give Mantis some kind of test to gauge his mental acuity and tactical skills - vital for high-intensity fights with butterfly-powered villains. She also saw Gorizilla's hand quickly shooting at her. No chance to dodge. She had little time to react.

With a grunt of mild frustration, Ladybug threw the remote for the helicopter at Gorizilla, missing his head by a fraction. It sailed past the Akuma to its true target - Mantis - who eagerly grabbed onto it as Ladybug was taken captive by the giant blue man-thing.

Mantis seemed to get the hint and quickly piloted the helicopter, saving the day while sticking to the shadows as per his agreement with the two heroes currently in Gorizilla's grasp. Aiming for the only visible weak spot, Mantis staged a full-frontal assault on the Akumas eyes, enraging him and making him drop the spotted heroine. Ladybug wasted no time in jumping off the side of the building, only to reappear to save Adrien. Which was only to get herself recaptured… again. It was some kind of cycle.

Mantis wanted to use his abilities to attempt to covertly get Gorizilla to drop Ladybug to get her to unknowingly save her partner, but a purple butterfly mask spread over his face, and Mantis didn't want to risk direct contact with Hawkmoth. Not yet, anyway. So he just kinda waited, completely ready and willing to jump after Adrien/Chat at a moments notice if it seemed like Ladybug was a lost cause.

Fortunately, Gorizilla had the heart to not let his protectee become a pavement pancake and released Ladybug to Mantis's relief.

Before long the pair were swinging off down Paris away from the giant monkey-person and Mantis tried to follow as best he could, but he didn't have the mobility nor familiarity of Paris's streets that Ladybug had. Eventually, he came across a lonely looking Adrien standing in front of the entrance to an underground train platform.

* * *

(Adrien's POV)

Adrien stood there, internally debating how to transform into Chat Noir without Ladybug noticing Adriens disappearance. Then, like a blessing in disguise, the answer came to him in the form of a disembodied voice.

"Hey, AdriChat, need a hand?"

Moments later, Mantis dropped down next to him and quickly ushered Adrien into the shadows of an alleyway opening, where they could chat in private.

The first thing out of Adrien's mouth was the obvious. "How did you know I'm Chat Noir?"

"You very obviously knew my name back in the cinema, and Ladybug and Chat Noir are the only people I've had a conversation with in Paris, let alone called myself 'Mantis' to. Unless you're Ladybug, instead?"

Adrien supposed that made sense. Now, Adrien needed a way to make sure that both Chat and Agreste Jr were seen together in public, to draw away suspicion from himself. He couldn't leave it up to chance for Hawkmoth to join the dots. Quickly the basis of a plan formed, but he didn't have any way to execute it. He needed another person, and there was no way Mantis could possibly work, as his superhero outfit was too flashy to hide under Adriens clothes… unless…

Gesturing Mantis to come closer (for no practical reason whatsoever - there was no one around to eavesdrop), Adrien informed Mantis of his plan and what he had to do.

After he was done, Mantis gave Adrien a silent nod and went off to find Adriens most rabid fan, who just happened to be cycling past in nearly the exact wrong direction 2 blocks away. Hiding on the rooftops, Mantis used his abilities to guide him towards Paris's most adored supermodel. This time however, Mantis made sure that he was subtle enough not to give away the fact that a superhero was remotely whispering into his ear. Luckily, the fan was eager to believe that he had some sort of previously hidden Adrien GPS that could point him towards the young Agreste. Adrien put his plan into place, and suddenly both "Adrien Agreste" as well as Chat Noir were standing in front of the giant gorilla Akuma.

Mantis stealthily joined Ladybug in the metro system, and acted as a communications relay from Laybug to Chat Noir (but not the other way around, which was an extremely annoying to everyone involved).

At this, Mantis was kinda ticked. He had seen the pair's previous fights. He knew how well they communicated to one another, even without verbal language. They knew the other like the back of their hands, and could read each other like books - a skill Mantis wished to one day be able to copy. He had no doubt that Chat Noir knew to Cataclysm the pavement above the train system without Mantis's instruction. The point in case, Mantis just wasn't needed as a hidden figure. His abilities were useless between the two existing heroes. He would be much more useful if he went public. But Ladybug and Chat Noir were the professionals, and Mantis was going to trust their judgement. He couldn't possibly afford to ruin his relationships with them.

The most annoying part of the Mantis Miraculous and all it entailed is that it is best utilised in a group. For the most part, he is a backliner; a support. A communicator needs someone to hear what's being communicated. Needs to be heard, particularly with those with power and experience, such as Ladybug and Chat Noir, although Mantis wouldn't mind meeting Hawkmoth face to face, just a chat. Mantis was extremely curious as to who had been terrorising Paris for just about a year now.

That line of thought was quickly interrupted by a huge blue gorilla-man crashing through the ceiling of the tunnel - giving Mantis flashbacks to the movie cinema not even 10 minutes ago. Standing back, he allowed Ladybug to search the Akumas pockets and pull out some kind of charm/bracelet thing. Mantis wasn't too worried about what it was; he was just thankful that the Akumatised item didn't turn out to be the pants he was wearing, for whatever reason. A quick deevilise and "Miraculous Ladybug!" later, and Paris returned to how it should be - with a nonexistent giant-blue-ape-person-powered-by-an-evil-butterfly population.

Mantis was stuck in thought about the implications of a "instant cure-all" when the two other heroes yelled something together:

"Pound it!"

Mantis glanced backwards without turning around - a party trick most found off putting, for good reason. Ladybug and Chat Noir were in the middle of some kind of fist bumping, but they didn't seem to be willing to break it up any time soon, glancing at him with a strange look. Suddenly it all clicked in his mind, "They want me to join in!"

Exhilaration running through him at this revelation, Mantis spun around, confidently walked up to the pair and - while grinning in ecstasy - reached out with his fist to join in.

"Pound it."

* * *

Mantis, deep in thought about nothing at all, paced up and down the massive steel girder that was probably a crucial structural part of the top third of the Eiffel Tower. This had been the agreed meeting place for the heroes before they parted ways after Gorizilla. It was perfect - a good lookout spot, many escape routes from any Akumas, away from any pathways so the public couldn't eavesdrop.

He kept pacing.

Mantis never was a good waiter, but he had learned how to distract himself; a skill that had become in handy often. Sure he was 10 minutes early, but Mantis didn't really have anywhere else to be.

A minute passed. And another. Mantis decided to stop pacing and sit down

Eventually, Mantis was pulled away from his empty thoughts when the rapidly approaching sound of a yoyo invaded his mind. Seconds later, Ladybug landed only a couple of metres from Mantis.

Ladybug hadn't noticed Mantis' presence yet; she let out a loud sigh, turned around and promptly dropped into a sitting position looking out into the city she had been protecting for over a year now. Reading her face, Mantis could see the full force of how much Ladybug loved Paris.

It seemed like a personal moment for Ladybug and Mantis didn't want to intrude, but he knew that not saying anything would just make things weird for them both, so he cleared his throat. Ladybug jumped, startled. Her hand started reaching for her yoyo before she realised who it was.

"Oh, Mantis. Sorry, I didn't see you there. Guess I'm just used to being the first one at a meeting." Ladybug quickly got out, as she lightly blushed in shame.

"S'okay. Really, it is. Praying Mantis' are well known for their camouflage, after all." Mantis said earnestly. "I take it Chat Noir is more of a 'fashionably late' type?" For all Mantis knew, that was exactly the type of person Adrien Agreste was - he didn't know anything about the guy except he was famous and hadn't been bothered researching him.

Ladybug seemed amused by his question, and smiled as she answered, "You would think so, but he's quite punctual most of the time. And I can't exactly blame him for being held up every so often - from what I've gathered, he's pretty busy as a civilian. Surely that's happens to you every once in a while, as well."

Mantis hesitated, then grimly nodded. This poor response seemed to satisfy Ladybug, but begrudgingly so. The pair sat there without speaking for almost a minute before Ladybug broke the silence. "So, did you enjoy your first Akuma fight?" This innocent query threw Mantis off a little - here it came.

"Uh, actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you and Chat Noir about." Mantis had acted pretty desperate to see the heroes again in private ASAP after the Akuma, "Should we just wait until Chat Noir shows up, or…?"

Ladybug quickly gave Chat a quick call, confirming he was less than a minute away. They both decided it would just be better to wait than start a discussion only to restart when the last hero turned up.

Ladybug and Mantis waited in silence for Chat to turn up. Mantis glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye and found none other than Chat Noir stealthily sneaking up behind His Lady, flexing his fingers, preparing to get the jump on Ladybug with a tickle attack. But just before he lunged for the Bug, she called out "Very funny, Chat" and without turning around, whipped her yoyo through his legs and snagged on his tail. Then pulled, sending Chat into a heap on the ground.

Groaning lightly, more out of show than pain, Chat picked himself back up and glanced suspiciously at Mantis. "You warned her about that, didn't you?" Mantis threw up his hands innocently and gave a scandalised _scoff_. He hadn't done anything. "You wish, kitty." replied Ladybug with a smirk

Chat was obviously miffed, but decided to focus on the issue at hand with a grin. "Anyway, it's time to celebrate! Our first Akuma taken down as an official trio! So, how'd you enjoy taking down Paris's own King Kong, Mantis?"

Mantis took a deep breath in. _You can do it, Matthew. Your concerns are perfectly understandable, and they'll know that_. "Well that's just the thing… I didn't exactly do much."

"But of course you did…" said both heroes reflexively, which quickly turned to a mumbled mess as they realised that he was right, mostly. Chat Noir knew that he had helped Adrien Agreste, but he couldn't exactly reveal that.

Mantis went on, "The thing is, that while I'm hidden from the public, I can only communicate between you two. And I've seen your previous battles. You don't need me to be your personal walkie-talkies. If I wasn't there, I would bet good money that Chat Noir would have known to Cataclysm the road without me telling him. If I wasn't there, I'm sure the Lucky Charm would have worked anyway. The whole concept of the Mantis Miraculous only works when I can talk to people, and you two don't need to be talked to. I would be SO much more effective if I was publicly known." During this micro-rant, Mantis' voice gradually grew louder and stronger.

His outburst left Ladybug and Chat stunned for several moments, then Ladybug took charge and, with a soft voice said "Look, I get it, anyone else in your position would feel the same way. But I'm just worried you aren't prepared for an actual battle. Today, you proved that you can think fast and strategically, but you haven't actually fought a supervillain before. If Hawkmoth thinks you're a weak fighter, then he'll start targeting you specifically for your Miraculous. I don't want to take that chance, and I don't think you do either."

Mantis, while understanding where Ladybug was coming from, saw a massive hole in her logic. "Well if I'm not fighting Akumas, how will I get better?" Ladybug was prepared for this rebuttal: "Chat and I will train you, obviously! Here, we'll start now. No weapons allowed, try to knock me down."

Mantis, feeling confident in his own abilities, disconnected the blades attached to his forearms and got prepared to fight Ladybug.

* * *

Five minutes later, Mantis was more than ready to concede the point: He needed training. Although, according to Ladybug (who wasn't out of breath AT ALL, compared to Mantis' heavy panting and mild sweating), he "certainly has potential".

Mantis quickly sat himself down and massaged his arm, that had been hit quite badly during the kerfuffle. Ladybug had apologised ten times for it, despite it not being serious. Ladybug was watching Mantis, obviously preoccupied with thinking through how and what to teach Mantis. Chat Noir was inconspicuously feasting on the rest of the popcorn he got out for the battle.

Mantis' conscience had been slowly, but systematically been eaten out by his big secret…

"Look… Ladybug, Chat Noir… literally the first thing I said to you was that I didn't want our relationship to start off on a lie, but I'm afraid that's exactly what I did."

Heart heavy, Mantis turned to face the two heroes, unsure of what would happen in the next 10 seconds. Drawing in a deep breath, his eyes quickly darted between Ladybug's eyes, Chat's eyes and the ground just in front of his feet.

"The truth is… Matthew Camerons has been dead for years. For the past 2 and a half years, I have only been Mantis. I can't detransform."

* * *

**A/N: Oooooooo. A malfunctioning Miraculous? Poor Matthew, having to be stuck in there for years! We'll have to see how the pair react the next chapter.**

**I'd love to hear more from you guys. But for now, I must retire to my balloon fortress and contemplate existence. Until next time!**

**MrMysteryAhoy, is out!**


	5. Hiatus

**Story on HIATUS:**

Sorry to spring this upon everyone just as the story was getting interesting, but I'm gonna put this story down for a bit, to work on another piece.

My friend from school challenged the group to a fanfiction-writing competition about the group. That other story is going to be my main focus for a while, but I still might work slightly on this. However, I doubt I will be working long or hard enough on it to get a new chapter out until after this little sidetrack, which looks like it's going to last for a month or two.

Wish me luck!

MrMysteryAhoy, out!


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Once again, MrMysteryAhoy is back!  
**

**I missed this place, but unfortunately the next time I return will most likely quite a long time away. I'm still focusing on another story, but I kinda hit a wall with that one, so I returned to finish the latest chapter of here Ol' Faithful.**

**Quick recap: After the celebration of taking down Gorizilla as a trio, Mantis shows some of his concerns. He then goes and drops a bombshell about his origins to the other superheroes. Can he explain himself?**

* * *

Matthew Camerons stared out into the Parisian skyline, a skyline he quickly learned to love, despite him only inhabiting this city for a couple of days. He reflected upon his newest home while waiting for his previous bombshell to leave its crater in the minds of the two people next to him. Speaking off…

Ladybug and Chat Noir continued to stare at him while computing the implications of what he just said. Cross-analysing to match up events and dialogue to back up his claims, he was sure, was also a part of their thoughts. As he continued to wait, his eyes drifted to the Ladybug earrings of legend. They didn't look like much, but to Mantis they meant so much more than a magical piece of jewelry.

Those earrings (plus the Black Cat ring) were everything to Matt. Looking back, he can say with near-certainty that the existence of the two superheroes in front of him were the only reason he had hope and life inside him.

The pair symbolised a path to having a normal life, outside of the Mantis Miraculous. Alternatively, if that couldn't be achieved, Mantis would still be happy if he could just be a real superhero. One that can actually do good.

Those earrings were the only reason Mantis didn't bolt. He needs the trust of those earrings and she who wears them (plus the ring and he who wears them, obviously).

"Y-you've been stuck in that suit for two and a half years?" Stammered Ladybug, obviously somewhat recovered from the wave of questions. He nodded.

There was really only one way Mantis could correctly explain his past: "The best way I can show you is from the start. You might wanna sit down - this is a long story. Or maybe it isn't. I haven't had to tell it before." he said honestly.

And so, Mantis started telling his tale:

"Young Matthew Camerons lived twelve years of a good, normal life in Australia. Things were going great for him. He was sooo blissfully ignorant of a lot of the bad truths to the world. March 2013, he mysteriously falls into a coma. That day just happens to be the Vernal Equinox. The next time he saw the light of day was 6 months later, the Autumnal Equinox, believe it or not. **Six months**. Think about that. Matthew Camerons missed six months of... **everything**. During that time, the suit slowly formed around him. It was less flashy back then - no wings, only a slight increase in field of view, et cetera."

"When Matthew woke up, he was in an unfamiliar place. You see, when the suit became apparent, he was shipped off by the government. They took him to somewhere… quieter, where he could be monitored without any publicity, thanks to Australia's own secret service. They knew something was up with this twelve-year old who had superhero clothing growing out of him of their own accord. So he woke up to a life of tests. He was scared out of his mind, and understandably so.

"He spent almost two whole years in that place. While all the scientists and researchers there tried their hardest to make things comfortable for him, he wasn't allowed to leave. Every day was test after test. Two years of everyone wanting answers, Matthew included. The most perplexing thing was that the suit slowly upgraded itself. He gained his full 360-degree view about 8 months in and his wings started coming out after that and are still going.

"During that time, you two plus Hawkmoth showed up in Paris. He was never told. He wasn't told that there were potentially people who **knew**. Who could possibly help with answering the multitude of questions he had. Who could help this lost kid who's life had spiralled out of control for no reason. Why Matthew Camerons? What did he do that made this happen to him?

"Another thing that happened during that time was the Matthew Camerons was declared officially deceased to the public. People, including his own family, mourned and moved on. There was only Mantis left. And when he heard about this… boy, was he pissed. He raged for days on end. But the power of language got to him, eventually. The point of a language is to logically structure conversations, arguments and by extension, how people express emotions.

"Sure, he lost his life that day, but having Matthew Camerons alive raises a lot more questions than dead. If Australia's own superhero was dragged into the spotlight, he would have become redundant as a superhero. He would've been more of a spectacle. People would have rioted if they found that an innocent boy had been practically kidnapped and experimented upon. Matthew Camerons himself was inconsequential. He was effectively dead either way.

"Eventually, the scientists became frustrated with the complete lack of progress they were making. Unbeknownst to Mantis at that time, the appearance of Paris' own heroes had put light upon the world of the Miraculous, but Mantis was always an enigma - he had no removable jewellery that gave him his powers. The source of his superpowers wasn't tangible. It couldn't be directly studied. Mantis had nothing for them and that ticked them off more than a little. At some point, they decided it was time to let the superhero be free to be a superhero. They had all the data they could get. And so they let Mantis out into the world.

"He didn't know what to do. He hadn't been in society for two whole years. And that number would only go up - the scientists had been adamant that it was in his best interests to stay out of the spotlight; Mantis was to stick to the shadows. Catching himself up with all that had happened in the years he had missed he learned about the existence of real-life superheroes, other people like him. He saw and was amazed. He saw everything that you did, and quickly fell in love with the image that you had built - what a real superhero was supposed to be. He really tried to show that image as well. He tried being the friendly neighbourhood Ladybug/Chat Noir.

"But he always remained in the shadows. Not only because that's what the scientists had told him to do, but he was also a coward. He thought he would be ridiculed for not doing anything - he didn't have a super-villain to face; there wasn't a regular bank robbery to break up; no drug smuggling rings, the real world doesn't work like that. He thought that drawing attention to himself might lead to a super-villain showing up, or Hawkmoth moving to take my own Miraculous. And as much as he wanted to be useful; he never was good with responsibility and was sure he'd mess something up.

"So he didn't have anything to do. He didn't have a purpose, and he slowly lost faith in the light that you two had shown him. He became scared of what he had become, just like when he first woke up. He was scared of his present, scared for his future and he couldn't see any way out of it. He's not proud to admit it, but he spent almost an entire week stalking his old friends and family, trying to feel some kind of normalcy.

"Then he realised something… the Justice League, the Avengers… heroes always work best as a team. You two had been going so well as a couple, but the more the merrier, right? He just needed to get there. So using his superhero skills, he hopped on the first cargo ship headed for Spain, planning to hike the rest of the way to Paris. Not the greatest plan, but he was running out of ideas.

"The ship then dropped him off in China because his investigative skills apparently needed working on - he read the wrong ship log. Not one to cry over spilled milk, he had to tweak his plan and practically ran from China to here. And here I am. Finally, I've had a purpose to my life and I'm ready to do anything to pursue. And that concludes my story."

Mantis turned to face Ladybug and Chat Noir, and gave a small bow - avoiding their eyes. He felt naked in front of them now. It was all on the table and now he could do nothing but hope they believed him.

In all honesty, he didn't completely believe himself. So much had happened, so much that couldn't be explained. The whole story was based upon the absurd notion that an ancient, powerful jewel had somehow merged with his being and turned him into this… this freak of nature and man.

He felt like he was bowed there for hours, not daring to say or move anything. His heart was pounding in his ears, but he didn't feel anything. There was no anxiety, anger, hope, nothing. Just a strange mix of tiredness and emptiness. He felt like a hollow shell, one that would stand there for eternity, waiting patiently to be filled.

He let go of the breath he didn't even know he was holding in as Ladybug opened conversation, but he didn't dare look up yet. "Mantis… I'm so sorry for what you've had to go through… and I think I know someone who can answer all of your questions. Maybe even separate you and… whatever this is, because I'm not convinced that you've got a Miraculous inside you."

Before Mantis could think of his response, it came tumbling out. "Thank you Ladybug. But I'm not even sure I want answers anymore… I just want to do something worthwhile."

Chat Noir then piped up, obviously with some questions: _yippee_. "If you kinda… arrived in Paris illegally - not that the police have to know - and you can't be seen in public, where did you sleep last night? And the night before that?"

"Simple: I've slept under the stars for the last couple of months. Although sleeping is a bit of a stretch - ya see, I don't need to sleep. This suit seems to keep me energised. I haven't eaten or drunk anything for almost half a year, and I feel fine. It's strange. It seems so alien at some times, but feels natural like it's been a part of me from my birth. And it's still growing - these wings only appeared halfway along in my boat trip and have been slowly getting stronger since then. In some ways this whole thing is a blessing, in others it's a curse."

Ladybug thought about what he just said. "It sounds like you don't exactly need a place to crash, but I'd rather you not be out in the open all night, just to be sure you're safe."

At this, Chat's cat ears perked up, and the beginnings of an idea seem to cross his tongue, but he quickly tried to cut it off as it tried to escape from his mouth. Ladybug saw this out of the corner of her eye and turned to him. "Do you have an idea, kitty?"

"Well - I…" he stuttered, unable to find a way to speak his thoughts, "I w-was just thinking… he could hang out at my place?" As he said this, his voice got smaller and smaller and he seemed to curl into himself, away from Ladybug.

Ladybug pondered this idea, her expression slowly becoming sour. "But if he went to your house, he would have no choice but to learn your identity. Unless…" She shot Chat a near-murderous glare, like she could make him spontaneously combust just by looking at him hard enough.

Chat had sweat slowly dripping down his face, fearful of this situation while Mantis sat down on the couch, chomped down on some popcorn and watched the action unfold.

"I'm sorry." Chat squeaked out, preparing for a brutal beat down from his partner for being so careless with his identity (honestly it was quite pathetic).

"**CHAT!**"

* * *

**A/N: So that is my canon backstory of Matthew Camerons, the latest holder of the Mantis Miraculous(?).**

**Any feedback would be well appreciated and ideas for future chapters would help - I've only got Robustus left in the tank, and a rough idea for the ending. **

**Again, don't expect the next chapter any time soon, although I can't make any promises.**

**Until next time, MrMysteryAhoy is signing out.**


End file.
